South East · England · 72,590Boundary · 2023

Eastbourne

Follow⇄ Compare
Dispatch
Apr 2026

A safe LD seat, won with 52% of the vote in 2024. Covers Eastbourne and Crumbles. Population 101,694. Recorded crime is 58% above the national average.

Elected in 2024, Josh Babarinde has quickly established himself as one of Westminster's more visible new arrivals. In February 2026 he was named best new MP of the year by The Argus, and in November 2025 he was elected President of the Liberal Democrats -- an unusually rapid rise for a first-term MP. His most distinctive parliamentary move has been breaking with his party twice on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, voting against it at both Second and Third Reading despite near-unanimous Lib Dem support -- a conspicuous dissent on a flagship public health measure with broad cross-party backing.

At 70% voting participation, Babarinde is below the Commons average, though his 251 contributions across 186 debates suggests active engagement when present. He votes with the Liberal Democrats 99% of the time outside his tobacco rebellion, and his stance profile is consistently opposition-minded: strongly anti-tax-increase (97%), resistant to the government's agenda (13% alignment), and supportive of parliamentary scrutiny (83%). He deviates from his own party by being notably more supportive of assisted dying access (+13 percentage points above the Lib Dem average) and somewhat less enthusiastic on Lords reform (-21 points). Speeches cluster around crime, the economy, local government, and social care.

328
Commons votes
This parliament
£27k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
72.6k
Electorate
2024 GE

LD regained this seat from Con — last held it in 2017.

Current Member of Parliament

Josh Babarinde

Josh Babarinde

Liberal Democrats

Josh Babarinde is the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.

Notable Votes

MPs voted to pass the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its final stage in the Commons. The Bill aims to create a 'smokefree generation' by gradually raising the legal age for buying tobacco so that those born after a certain date can never legally purchase it, representing the biggest public health intervention since the 2007 smoking ban.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

MPs voted on whether to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill its Second Reading, advancing legislation that would create a 'smoke-free generation' by progressively raising the legal age for buying tobacco so that anyone born after 2009 could never legally purchase cigarettes, while also cracking down on vaping among young people.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Sign up free to read the full briefing on Josh Babarinde.

Sign up free

Voting at a Glance

A safe LD seat, won with 52% of the vote in 2024. Covers Eastbourne and Crumbles. Population 101,694. Recorded crime is 58% above the national average.

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Babarinde’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.356 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Babarinde has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
78
Economy
66
Employment
39
Crime & Policing
31
Welfare and Benefits
26
Education
23
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Third Reading26 Mar 2025
No
Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Second Reading26 Nov 2024 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.9 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
DevonshireChristina Jane Ewbank1,238Liberal
DevonshireMargaret Elizabeth Bannister1,409Liberal
DevonshireSteve Holt1,233Liberal
Hampden ParkColin Richard Swansborough1,091Liberal
Hampden ParkJames Robert Murray1,037Liberal
Hampden ParkTeri Sayers-Cooper1,004Liberal
LangneyAlan Shuttleworth1,485Liberal
LangneyAnita Mayes1,358Liberal
LangneyCandy Vaughan1,318Liberal
MeadsAndy Collins1,630Liberal
MeadsJane Lamb1,585Conserva
MeadsRobert Smart1,536Conserva
Population (2021 Census)
101,694
Electorate 72,590 · 2024 register
Median income
£26,700
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
26.6%
England average 20.0%
Schools
33
18 primary · 4 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

Mine the full
record → Data view

Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.